Wildlife and Landscape Photography Blog

Superior Distortion

The Lake Superior shoreline is often characterized by rugged, rocky outcrops. One of my preferred locations within Ontario’s Lake Superior Provincial Park can be found near the mouth of the Coldwater River, along the Coastal Hiking Trail. At this spot there is a large ‘whale-back’ rock right next to the rugged coast that has been smoothed perfectly through the ages by the action of waves washing over it in the height of severe storm activity. On my most recent trip to Lake Superior in September I was determined to create an image to illustrate this massive rock. On this trip I added a Sigma 15mm f2.8 EX DG Fish-eye Lens to my tool-kit. This lens was on loan from Gentec International, the Canadian distributor for Sigma lenses in Canada. Fisheye lenses will open up a whole new world of creativity to the photographer who has yet to give them a try. Noted for their extreme distortion qualities, fish-eye lenses when used effectively will produce pleasing results. The resulting effect I like best is that which is achieved by pointing the lens downward to create a rounded horizon. I often find this effect to be most pleasing when looking out over a large body of water. Perhaps this is because 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water and the distorted effect mimics that of the globe. To create the above composition I chose to handhold the camera, utilize the virtual horizon feature to maintain a level perspective, and carefully composed the scene so that the massive rock would not merge with the trees on the distant shore.

Please remember to click on the image to see the larger, sharper version 🙂